Combined dropper and bottle cap



1952 I J. A. BAROSSO COMBINED DROPPER AND BOTTLE CAP Filed Sept. 20, 1948 Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINED DROPPER AND BOTTLE CAP Joseph A. Barosso, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 20, 1948, Serial No. 50,030

6 Claims.

For many years the world has been confronted with the problem of pouring the liquid of a bottle into a small opening or dropping small amounts from the bottle. The problem is most severe in connection with bottles which are provided with a cap for maintaining the bottle closed or sealed between uses.

The most successful droppers have been the ordinary bulb type medicine droppers. These have been somewhat inconvenient to use, have represented an appreciable increase in the cost of the bottle, and have been objectionable for many purposes because of deterioration of the rubber of which the bulb is made. Other devices entirely separate from the bottle and cap have been used, but for the most part they have been inconvenient and have had a tendency to become lost.

According to the present invention a dropper is combined with a bottle cap in such a way that it cannot be lost, represents substantially no additional cost, and can be held in place during use by using the bottle cap as a handle.

According to another aspect of the invention, a dropper is provided which operates on the principle of facilitating the desired flow of the liquid rather than the principle of prior droppers of obstructing all other flow. Utilization of this principle permits an exceptionally simple type of dropper, namely, a simple, thin finger which extends downwardly as the bottle is tipped so that the liquid, although free to flow elsewhere, flows along the dropper-finger more readily.

An object of the invention therefore is to provide an improved dropper or pouring aid, preferably more convenient, preferably less expensive, and preferably combined with a bottle cap in such manner that the latter can serve as a holder.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the use of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an additional modification of the invention which can be used without removal from the bottle.

The form of the invention seen in Fig. 1 comprises a cap I I which may be a conventional cap except for the provision of a dropper finger- I2 2 thereon. In this form of the invention the dropper finger I2 is integrally molded along the side of the cap II and is provided with a lug or flange l3 forming a rest.

As seen in Fig. 2, the cap II can be removed from the bottle M on which it fits and turned to be applied to the bottle in the manner shown in Fig. 2. Thus the finger I2 lies across the mouth of the bottle and the flange I3 rests on the neck [6 of the bottle. The cap II serves as a handle or holder, the inside of the cap forming a finger-receiving recess.

It will be observed that the finger I2 is not nearly as wide as the mouth of the bottle. Hence it leaves the mouth open on both sides of the finger I2 so that the liquid is free to 'fiow out from the mouth of the bottle along both sides of the finger I2. There is nothing to confine the flow to any desired course, but it has been found nevertheless that liquids will flow down the finger l2 and drop or flow from the tip thereof. If the tip is small and the surfaces adjacent the tip along which the liquid flows are substantially aligned with the finger, the flow away from the downwardly directed finger will be substantially in alignment with the finger. Of course if the liquid is poured more slowly so as to be dropped from the finger a drop at a time, it will fall directly downwardly from the tip of the finger. It is thus very easy to direct the liquid either in drops or as a stream since it moves reliably from one point.

Although Figs. 1 and 2 have shown the finger I2 in the form of a raised finger extending beside the cap I I, it could in effect be moved back into the cap. In a sense the finger would then merely'extend upwardly from the top of the upright cap adjacent to the edge thereof, but in another sense the outside wall of the cap could be considered a continuation of the finger.

With either construction the flange I3 should have its bottom surface, when the cap is upright, merged with the rim ll of cap flange I8. This permits molding the finger I2 and its flange I3 integrally with the cap I I without any change in the general type of mold used for bottle caps.

Conventionally the division between the molds is at the rim II. It will be observed that the finger construction of Fig. 1 is free from any surfaces facing downwardly except the bottom of the flange I3 which merges with the rim I1 and hence is appropriate for the same division of the molds.

In the construction shown in 3, the finger I2 extends across the top of the cap and the flange I3 extends upwardly therefrom. This is applied to the mouth of the bottle as seen in Fig. 4, and functions in the manner already described. There are some reasons for preferring the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It pours more depend-ably because the cap I I is more remote from the pouring zone and has less tendency to form an alternative path for the flow of the liquid if the bottle is tipped beyond the horizontal position. Also, the form'in Fig. 1 is more easily formed by conventional molds. The mold which forms the outside of the cap in the conventional manner may also form the finger and may be drawn longitudinally away without rotation. It may thus form fluting along the outside of the cap flange I8. With the-Fig, 3 construction, however, it is necessary to form'the outside of the cap flange I8 by the same mold which forms the inside of the cap. On account of the threads I9 thismold must be rotated and hence theoutersurface of cap flange I8 must be smooth.

-Nevertheless, there is one reason for preferring the cap of Figs. 3 and 4 in some situations. It can usually be packaged in the same package which has been used heretofore for the same bottle and conventional cap. The upstanding finger-I2 of 'Fig. 1 may require a higher package and some padding or spacing insert to prevent thefinger I2 from puncturing the package under extreme conditions which might be encountered in shipment or handling.

The form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 has theadvantages of both Figs. 1 and 3 and an additional advantage that it can be used without removal from the bottle and without applying the finger to the inside of the cap. In this instance the finger I2 is molded integrally on the cap flange I8 of the cap I I. The finger E 2 extends laterally from the cap and has its bottom surface "flush with the rim I! of the cap flange I8. To use this form of combined cap and dropper, it is -merely necessary to loosen the cap sufiiciently to enable the liquid to flow between the neck and the cap and tip the bottle to point the finger I2 downwardl'y. The cap II thus serves as a holder for the finger I2. As a'matter of fact, the user will usually place one finger of the hand which holds the bottle on top of the cap II to be sure that it does not fall and to ensure uniformity of flowing action. With the cap thus pressed against the neck, about one revolution of the cap in unscrewing it will be found to give a satisfactory flowing action with some liquids. With others, which do "n'ot'flow'as'readily, it may be found more desirable to completely unscrew the cap and even tilt it slightly to give the liquid more room to llow. In'this connection it is desirable that the finger I2 be'formed at a point beyond the thread, i. e., at a point along the periphery where there is no thread immediately adjacent the finger over or around which the liquid would have to flow to etto the finger.

Although thestructure of Fig. 5 has advantages over the other Structures, they both have one advantage over the structure of Fig. 5. This is that virtually no skill is required to operate them satisfactorily. It is possible that with the Fig. 5 structure novices will find it diflicult to get the cap in the right position and the bottle correctly tilted to make the liquid flow as desired. Even in this regard, however, the Fig. 5 structure is believed to be very much better than a separate dripping device. In thematter. of cost and de- 4 pendable direction of flow, it is undoubtedly much better than some such devices.

Although the cap I I makes a convenient holder for the finger I2, it is apparent from Figs. 2 and 4 that the finger can function independently of th cap. Accordingly, it can be made separately if desired and in that event might conveniently be stamped from metal. Of course such a finger may also be secured to a metal cap, but the invention is believed to-find its most economical form when the finger and cap are integrally molded. Any plastics suitable for molding caps, including those now conventionally used, are believed suitable for this invention.

The invention may be used with a wide variety of products. One for which it has been found especiallly suitable, perhaps because the absence of a satisfactory alternative has been most noticeable, is for cigarette lighter fluid. Such fluid wets the finger I2 and flows along it quite readily and, after recapping the bottle, evaporates quickly to leave the finger I2 quite clean.

The face of finger I 2 may be flat, concave, convex, or irregular in cross section. The form in Fig. 5 will be flat for ease of molding. When the finger is stamped from sheet metal a deep concavity may be prefered for rigidity and thickness.

It will be understood that the caps will be provided with the conventional taper to facilitate ejection from molds and that the finger l2 may likewise be tapered. As a matter of fact, a gradual taper of the finger I2 is desirable anyway so that it will come to a small tip and yet be reasonably sturdy, and at the same time'have its flow surfaces extend generally parallel to the length of the finger so that a stream will flow straight away from the tip.

At the present time it is preferred that thefree length of the finger (beyond the cap and beyond any portion of the bottle the finger touches) be at least inch. This seems necessary to ensure reliable preference of the liquid'for flowing down the finger. Experiments may determine that a shorter length suffices, or thata longer length is necessary under some conditions.

I claim:

1. A combined'dropper and closure for bottles and the like comprising a cap for sealing the bottle and'a dropper-finger extending along the outside of the cap and away therefrom, said finger being long enough to span the bottle mouth and extend therefrom far enough to draw a liquid wetting it away from any other surface'of the bottle and cap touched by the liquid when the finger is pointed downwardly as the bottle is tipped; the extending portion of said finger being disposed to point away from the direction toward which the inside of the cap faces whereby the inside of the cap forms a finger recess for holding the dropper-finger across the mouth.

2. A combined dropper and closure for bottles and the like comprising a cap for sealing the bottle and a dropper-finger extending along the outside of the cap and away therefrom, said finger being long enough to span the bottle mouth and extend therefrom far enough to draw a liquid wetting it away from any other surface of the bottle and cap touched by the liquid when the finger is pointed downwardly as the bottle is tipped; the extending portion of said fingerbeing disposed to point away from the direction toward which the inside of the cap faces whereby the inside of the cap forms a finger recess for holding the dropper-finger across the mouth; thesurface of the finger along which the liquid :flows near the tip of the finger being approximately straight lengthwise of the finger to cause the liquid, if it streams from the finger, to leave it approximately in the direction it points.

3. A combined dropper and closure for bottles and the like comprising a cap for sealing the bottle and a dropper-finger carried on the outside of the cap narrow enough to allow liquid to flow out from a bottle along both sides of the finger when the finger is resting on the lip of the bottle, and a rest associated with the finger to rest on the bottle neck to help support the finger, said rest being so positioned that with the finger together with the cap spanning across the mouth and the rest on the neck the cap will be positioned to restrict flow from the bottle and the finger will extend far enough beyond the neck to draw a liquid wetting it away from any other surface of the bottle and cap touched by the liquid when the finger is pointed downwardly as the bottle is tipped; the surface of the finger along which the liquid flows near the tip of the finger being approximately straight lengthwise of the finger to cause the liquid, if it streams from the finger, to leave it approximately in the direction it points.

4. A combined dropper and closure for bottles and the like comprising a cap having imperiorate top and fiange Walls for sealing a bottle and a dropper-finger tapering gradually to a point and rigidly disposed entirely on the outside of the cap, which when positioned at the bottom of the cap with the cap loosely applied in front of the bottle mouth as the bottle is tipped extends away from the cap far enough to draw a liquid wetting it away from any other surface of the bottle and cap touched by the liquid when the finger is pointed downwardly as the bottle is tipped; said cap serving in one position to seal the bottle independently of the dropper finger and in another position to aid the use of the dropper finger for dropping.

5. A combined drop-per and closure for bottles and the like comprising a cap having imperforate top and fiange walls for sealing a bottle and a dropper-finger tapering gradually to a point and rigidly disposed entirely on the outside of the cap, which when positioned at the bottom of the cap with the cap loosely applied in front of the bottle mouth as the bottle is tipped extends away from the cap far enough to draw a liquid wetting it away from any other surface of the bottle and cap touched by the liquid when the finger is pointed downwardly as the bottle is tipped; said cap serving in one position to seal the bottle independently of the dropper finger and in another position to aid the use of the dropper finger for dropping, and said finger being free from exposed surface facing in the direction of the cap opening and positioned other than in the plane of the rim of the cap flange.

6. A combined dropper and closure for bottles and the like comprising a cap for sealing the bottle and a dropper-finger carried on the outside of the cap, at least a portion of the finger being narrow enough to allow liquid to flow from a bottle fitting the cap out along both sides of the finger when the finger is resting on the lip of the bottle with said portion of the finger partially closing the bottle, and a rest associated with the finger to rest on the bottle neck to help support the finger, said rest being so positioned that with the finger together with the cap spanning across the mouth and the rest on the neck the finger will have its narrow portion crossing the lip of the neck and extending far enough beyond the neck and the cap to draw a liquid wetting it away from any other surface of the bottle and cap touched by the liquid when the finger is pointed downwardly as the bottle is tipped, said cap being so positioned as to serve as a rest for the users finger in applying the dropper-finger to the bottle.

JOSEPH A. BARO-SSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 184,315 Armstrong Nov. 14, 1876 384,471 Randall June 12, 1888 1,411,573 McGarrahan Apr. 4, 1922 2,126,731 Burnham Aug. 16, 1938 2,232,029 Juchli Feb. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 877,172 France Sept. 1, 1942 

